Wildlife officer's schedules.

[Ohiosam]

A friend that is very well connected with the local wildlife officers was telling me how they are scheduled to work. A wildlife officer submits a proposal for his work hours several weeks at a time to his supervisor. If the supervisor OKs it then he has to follow that schedule.

So if he gets a hot tip that someone is violating a game law when he isn't scheduled to work he has to get permission from his supervisor before he can act. If you call him to report a violation he can only respond during his per approved work hours. If he's out watching for poachers and he comes to the end of his scheduled hours he must quit.

Wildlife officers are paid hourly and there isn't much overtime allowed.

I didn't know their schedule was so tightly controlled.

 

[cotty16]

Maybe that's why when I called about that buck caught in the batting cage net he never called back?

 

[RedCloud]

Wow. That's news to me as well Sam. Makes his job that much harder when you have to punch out right before you see a violation go down and can't do anything about it.

I thought it was a salary type paid position and they just worked as they wanted as long as they kept track of hours worked. I know they pull our local WO all the time when the walleye run up around Defiance. They also ship him to other counties as needed to cover large gatherings of hunters and fisherman every year. The only time he is actually here and patrolling is during gun season. Other then that you call his cell and get his voicemail and he does return calls but it might be a day or two later.

Definitely stretched thin in the enforcement area.

 

[bowhunter1023]

Another example of how messed up this entire process is...

 

[Bowhunter57]

Sucks to be them. :smiley_blink:

Bowhunter57

 

[themedic]

I was talking to a warden about this a couple weeks ago. They really do have to watch their hours now. It used to be a way of life he said and the logged hours like flex scheduling. kinda worked as needed but that got messed up a few years ago when some officers got busted logging hours they never worked. I'll google it and see if I can find the story.

 

[Jackalope]

A friend that is very well connected with the local wildlife officers was telling me how they are scheduled to work. A wildlife officer submits a proposal for his work hours several weeks at a time to his supervisor. If the supervisor OKs it then he has to follow that schedule.

So if he gets a hot tip that someone is violating a game law when he isn't scheduled to work he has to get permission from his supervisor before he can act. If you call him to report a violation he can only respond during his per approved work hours. If he's out watching for poachers and he comes to the end of his scheduled hours he must quit.

Wildlife officers are paid hourly and there isn't much overtime allowed.

I didn't know their schedule was so tightly controlled.

Probably because a while back a bunch of them got busted calling to clock in for work then going hunting or goofing off. The USFW did a huge probe after the DNR stonewalled on prosecuting that one warden. They compared their call in an out times to their truck gps and found plenty of them were not working or were somewhere else outside their area even sometimes hunting while on the clock. To make matters worse some of them were even reporting overtime. When you abuse things you looses things. That's likely why their schedules are so tightly controlled and watched now. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

 

[Ohiosam]

I was told that these rules were implemented because a few WOs cheated on their hours. Still seems like it limits the effectiveness of the good game wardens.

 

["J"]

Typical govt reaction too a small problem..... Make everyone pay for it at the expense of enforcement.....

 

[Huckleberry Finn]

Typical govt reaction too a small problem..... Make everyone pay for it at the expense of enforcement.....

Yup

 

[Jackalope]

Typical govt reaction too a small problem..... Make everyone pay for it at the expense of enforcement.....

That's the thing. It wasn't a "small" problem. And it existed up to the level of district directors. They audited everyone. It was more than just that small group. Others just didn't have other charges to make the news. Lots of reprimands and demotions happened. I know one guy who was put on desk duty and later fired for it who had nothing to do with the case. He felt railroaded as it was a very common and accepted practice. Once the DNR tried to cover up and protect their own USFW got involved and went for the throat. Once the DNR realized brass was in trouble they cooperated which means throw the little guys in front of the train to make it go away.

 

[Bowhunter57]

I wonder how this will effect enforcement. :smiley_chinrub:

Let's say a guy is shooting too many geese or has several deer on the ground at 7 p.m. and it gets reported to the GW of county "A". However, the GW of county "A" is off the clock via his work schedule as of 5 p.m. At that point, does the GW of county "B" (because his hours doesn't end until 8 p.m.) take on the call and respond to it? Or does it just get let go until the following day?

This makes for some interesting situations, as to how any of it gets handled...or not.
Bowhunter57

 

[Jackalope]

 

[Huckleberry Finn]

View attachment 17179

You'd think that they would at least take off their DOW hats...

 

[brock ratcliff]

I think the "guy" you are referring to is my acquaintance? He felt lucky to get out of the DOW without going to jail, and his offense was minor and accompanied by his supervisor. BTW, he is not in the pic shown...

I think our DOW is a joke. I think that more now than ever after our chat with Mike T at Strouds. There is NO management plan for deer, there is a management plan for OFB, or more likely Nationwide. They really do use the method of "throwing it on the wall, see what sticks". Why should the Law Enforcement side care anything about violations? If deer are over-harvested in an area, poachers will just quit poaching, same as hunters will quit hunting. It's all part of the natural predator/prey relationship the ODOW relies on to "manage" our game.

 

[Jackalope]

I think the "guy" you are referring to is my acquaintance? He felt lucky to get out of the DOW without going to jail, and his offense was minor and accompanied by his supervisor. BTW, he is not in the pic shown...

I think our DOW is a joke. I think that more now than ever after our chat with Mike T at Strouds. There is NO management plan for deer, there is a management plan for OFB, or more likely Nationwide. They really do use the method of "throwing it on the wall, see what sticks". Why should the Law Enforcement side care anything about violations? If deer are over-harvested in an area, poachers will just quit poaching, same as hunters will quit hunting. It's all part of the natural predator/prey relationship the ODOW relies on to "manage" our game.

Very likely.

 

[Jackalope]

You'd think that they would at least take off their DOW hats...

Or their uniforms under the camo.

 

[Huckleberry Finn]

Or their uniforms under the camo.

I got to get me a pair of them green Carhartts though for reals!

--

Like in any business, DOW, or other state agency, flex time is of the past. It's a distant memory that'll never be back...a sour apple really does ruin it for the rest.

 

[Jackalope]

I got to get me a pair of them green Carhartts though for reals!

--

Like in any business, DOW, or other state agency, flex time is of the past. It's a distant memory that'll never be back...a sour apple really does ruin it for the rest.

They weren't flexing time. They would radio in that they were on the clock then go hunting all day. Then radio in at quitting time. If that wasn't bad enough sometimes they even claimed overtime. Lol. Ballsy. But apparently it was well known and the normal thing to do. Many of them tried to use that exact excuse as a defense. Saying the director knew and didn't care. Of course he sold them out quick like.